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| On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38778] |
Sat, 29 January 2011 18:53  |
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 Black Bear
Messages: 3216
Registered: September 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA |
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On planting an orchard!
"The time is always right to do what's right."--MLK Jr.
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38817 is a reply to message #38789 ] |
Sun, 30 January 2011 16:37  |
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AJLR
Messages: 2566
Registered: September 2008
Location: England, UK |
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| Jeanne Marie wrote on Sun, 30 January 2011 14:48 |
Great post! I had two apple trees in the backyard, along with the blackberries, but just this past summer, my husband and dog were playing frisbee and one of the apples was the unfortunate casualty! Unfortunately, I didn't think to mark which apple was which, so I probably need to buy one EACH of the two varieties I had originally planted, or pollination will suffer!
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Unless your tree has been completely split or uprooted it might be worth waiting to see if it shoots again in the Spring? They can be amazingly tough, can't they. Good luck with it, anyway. 
"Never let a computer know you're in a hurry."
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38851 is a reply to message #38778 ] |
Mon, 31 January 2011 01:28 |
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Marina
Messages: 245
Registered: January 2009
Location: Near San Jose CA |
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But what varieties of apples, pears, etc., did you plant? In the Santa Cruz house, where we had no pool, but we had a back square that was 49'x49', I put in an orchard and a few raised beds for veggies.
I had been bit by the Antique Apple meme in the early 90's, and after I finally ate a Comice pear (fewer grit cells than the average Bartlett, the predominant market pear variety in the US, which is awfully full of grit cells. I thought I loathed pears because of canned Bartletts in my youth), I realized that pears were not all created alike, and took off after the Antique/heirloom Pears idea too. I already had citrus in half-barrels--it's an addiction with me, as I adore the scent of citrus blossom and citrus zest.
I wish I still had access to even an 1/8 of an acre of arable land, here in Campbell, in my yard. Not only is there a pool (which we are NOT going to fill in!), but we're on a corner lot, and there are scads more squirrels in this neighborhood than anywhere I've been lately. As it is, I should dig up all my fig trees and give them away, as I never get any--the critters run off with them before I can believe that they're ripe.
No good spot to grow tomatoes, either.
I am in deep envy, AJLR!
A. Marina Fournier
❦If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful ❧ William Morris❦
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38852 is a reply to message #38792 ] |
Mon, 31 January 2011 01:34 |
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Marina
Messages: 245
Registered: January 2009
Location: Near San Jose CA |
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| Quote: |
I timed my only visit to Brogdale in the autumn when the apples were ripe and had a great tour trying slices of lots of different types including one which seemed to come prespiced, I wish I could remember what it's called.
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It is possible, or certainly would be in the States, or definitely in Calfornia, a Cinnamon Spice apple from Trees of Antiquity. Named for its rich, distinct cinnamon flavor, this apple tastes similar to an apple pie. Found near Bolinas, CA by Jesse Schwartz. Exceptionally sweet, medium in size, wine-red fruit with some yellow hue. Tree of medium vigor, with upright shoots.
Bloom: Midseason
USDA Zone: 6,7,8,9,10
Pollination: Required
Fruit Storage: Good
Mature Size: Medium
Ripens: Late
Most of the apples I love are late-ripeners.
A. Marina Fournier
❦If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful ❧ William Morris❦
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38866 is a reply to message #38778 ] |
Mon, 31 January 2011 11:06 |
skating librarian
Messages: 571
Registered: October 2008
Location: Vermont |
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Apples cross pollinate ... you don't need 2 of the same variety.
I live on the edge of a very old orchard ... and the varietal names are lost in antiquity (1790 for original planting) I love that our co-op has so many varieties, but I also use online photos and the dates of ripening to narrow down the possibilities.
Stratford, Ontario has my favorite Shakespeare garden. And the whole town blooms, parks, yards, around the theaters,
They have a four theater festival and it is a terrific place for a vacation. Mainly B&B's ( no chain motels/hotels ) in real homes, a huge park with a river to walk along near the town center, fantastic productions with the cream of Canadian actors and not just Shakespeare, Canadian plays, Gilbert and Sullivan, a musical, concerts.
And independent bookstores.
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/
"Winning a war is like winning an earthquake" Jeanette Rankin
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38871 is a reply to message #38852 ] |
Mon, 31 January 2011 14:07 |
jaccairn
Messages: 152
Registered: November 2008
Location: Kent |
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| Marina wrote on Mon, 31 January 2011 06:34 |
| Quote: |
I timed my only visit to Brogdale in the autumn when the apples were ripe and had a great tour trying slices of lots of different types including one which seemed to come prespiced, I wish I could remember what it's called.
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It is possible, or certainly would be in the States, or definitely in Calfornia, a Cinnamon Spice apple from Trees of Antiquity. Named for its rich, distinct cinnamon flavor, this apple tastes similar to an apple pie. Found near Bolinas, CA by Jesse Schwartz. Exceptionally sweet, medium in size, wine-red fruit with some yellow hue. Tree of medium vigor, with upright shoots.
Bloom: Midseason
USDA Zone: 6,7,8,9,10
Pollination: Required
Fruit Storage: Good
Mature Size: Medium
Ripens: Late
Most of the apples I love are late-ripeners.
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that sounds like it or something similar.
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38877 is a reply to message #38778 ] |
Mon, 31 January 2011 21:59 |
skating librarian
Messages: 571
Registered: October 2008
Location: Vermont |
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As Robin may remember, spring in Northern New England sometimes only lasts two or three days. Often we go from winter's end (hopefully early April), to a loooong mud season (overlaps with winter, runs until all the frost is out of the ground and things are dry), to greening up and looking like spring (three days in May) directly to temperatures in the 80s. Geography makes a huge difference.
The spring I've experienced in England and around Philly is quite different. A lovely gradual unfolding rather than a mad dash. No wonder your trees don't all bloom at once.
Last year we had a real spring and for once the apples and lilac weren't blooming at the same time, the daffs bloomed for more than six weeks, and my neighbors and I were wandering around in our gardens for weeks wearing silly smiles. Then bad frost (28 degrees) knocked off almost all of the fruit blossoms in one miserable night in May. So almost no apples, absolutely no pears, few blueberries ... anyway, my apples seem to blossom pretty much all at once most years. Maybe a short growing season and late spring makes the trees anxious to be off.
Supposed to be down to zero tonight and then they say we will get up to two more feet of snow before it's done Wednesday night. (If it is done Wed. night) Hmm, maybe I should plan to get out on snowshoes Thursday to prune the apples ... I'd be a lot higher off the ground. (Trying to find a bright side)
"Winning a war is like winning an earthquake" Jeanette Rankin
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38887 is a reply to message #38884 ] |
Tue, 01 February 2011 02:45 |
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Ohhh... the old-fashioned pears here in North Texas, the funny knobbledy-looking ones that you never see in the stores, are crisp and somewhat tart. Every bit as crisp as an apple, but not as much acid. They have been showing up at the farmers' market the last couple of years.
My grandfather's place had a huge old tree of these, but in a very sudden hard freeze many years ago the tree was killed down to the rootstock, which is like a callery pear, no edible fruit, just little 1/2 inch things. It has regrown to a big tree which blooms beautifully, just no fruit. It shows as a white spot on the Google Earth image of the place (the aerial photo was taken in the March bloom time.)
I offered to send my brother, who has lived in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts for the last 40 years, some of these pears when I found them at the market year before last. He accepted with alacrity, and said he hadn't had one since 1981. Apparently he and my mother both attended a solar energy conference in Oregon that fall, and she took him a sack of them. Unfortunately he managed to leave most of them behind in the fridge of the house he was staying in. Bet he didn't know it would be 28 years before he got another!
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38922 is a reply to message #38912 ] |
Tue, 01 February 2011 21:44 |
skating librarian
Messages: 571
Registered: October 2008
Location: Vermont |
Senior Member |
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Ginger Gold is one of the nicest new apples I've encountered in ages ... it's early and spicy. Don't know if you have it there.
I see the apple orchard web site run by Cornell/ NY State has plans for commercial size orchards indicating the appropriate trees to put nearby for cross pollination ... and that led to bees and thinking about Chalice. Mason bees are a hot topic because of problems with honeybees/mites and so on. I was astounded to read about things like "king blossoms" and numbers of blossoms fertilized per bee. This blog and the comments lead me to what seems odd byways, I love it.
"Winning a war is like winning an earthquake" Jeanette Rankin
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| Re: On planning and planting an orchard - Guest post by AJLR [message #38927 is a reply to message #38902 ] |
Wed, 02 February 2011 03:48 |
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Marina
Messages: 245
Registered: January 2009
Location: Near San Jose CA |
Senior Member |
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If you're short of space, you can have other varieties of what fruit tree you're planting grafted on to it. I think with stone fruits (plums, apricots, peaches, cherries, and their crosses) you can graft any of those together on the same rootstock.
A. Marina Fournier
❦If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful ❧ William Morris❦
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